New Tick And Winter Fair!

[trpmods]

Whale Comb Back To New Tick!
If there was one thing the Agrii were rather good at foreseeing, it was apparently the snows that came along with the changing of the year on Agra-10. While the start of a new year rolled forward the snows grew deeper, until at last they formed a blanket over the city of Temba, one nearly a foot deep. The top-most layer of snow, nearly two inches thick, is different though. Instead of the soft white one might expect, the snow is a soft, pale pink shade that probably isn’t common in nature, but marks the arrival of something on Agra-10. It’s a lovely sort of snow too, the kind that packs perfectly for fort and snow creature making, and invites you to come and otherwise enjoy its unique beauty.

Those that have been here for a year or more might well recognize the signs that New Tick time has come again. Perhaps in this case they are the lucky ones, for they have already heard the whole spiel from An Nu in the past. Those He Rows that were present for the previous New Tick therefore only receive a brief message from the Agrii about the celebration, coming in the form of a text just before noon.

He Rows Greet they I am! Is An Nu to tell they that this is day! Is New Tick! Play in sweet cold! Is good luck! Go Whale Comb Sent Her and get gifts from us to they! Share memberings of last Tick! Play spark sticks! To Night more big sparks in sky. In next day have games and fun. This day all are fam. Be happy fam!

That is not the only message to go out of course. There are always new He Rows to explain things to. They will be treated to a spirited, high energy audio message at fifteen to noon. Because was there really any way that An Nu interacted except with insanely high energy?

New He Rows Greet They I Am! Am still An Nu, and I tell they of New Tick! New Tick mark Agra 10 move circle of sun. And mark day when time turn over in ship. Agrii group with fam and fronds to tell of all pass in last turning and turning before and before. Tell of life and happy and sad and all things. We give gifts of what come before. Give gifts to make good come for after.

When in Temba, before storms, Agrii play in sweet cold. Make many shapes and have games. Day has sweet cold, very much luck come. He Rows play in sweet cold then come Whale Comb Sent Her for gifts of Membering. We give food for tellings. Then, when dark, we give light sparks for New Tick wish time! Only burn sticks when it dark. They hold from body, sparks make burn pain. Give He Rows heal cream too, for burn pain. Then when much dark give sky fire, and drop ball of shine like He Row Bill Lee speak of! Great fun!

Sure enough as promised, all He Rows will find the Whale Comb Sent Her decked out for the holiday. The decorations inside are a collection of silver stars and garlands hanging about, and the big tables with Agrii foods are back, offering He Rows a meal to help with their celebrations. Actually, a lot of it are foods from Great Full too, including what seems to be Agrii attempts to recreate He Row dishes from the celebration. When one makes it past the tables (and obligatory stacks of peanut butter sandwiches, hearty stews, and roast ‘beasts’ made of vegetables), they will find the mounds of presents!

The presents are all wrapped in a metallic paper in shades of pink and purple, are covered in silver and gold bows, and come in various sizes. Every He Row will find a present labeled with their name, and inside they will find a gift from the Agrii. He Rows will find that even if they don’t attend on New Tick itself, the gift will wait for them in the Whale Comb Sent Her until they receive it, or until three days pass, at which point it will appear wherever they commonly sleep.

That night another table will appear at the door just inside the Whale Comb Sent Her doors. This one will be covered with two piles. The first will be of long, thin boxes that have sticks inside smelling faintly of sulfur and looking for all the world like sparklers. When lit these will result in a shower of quick, bright, and rapidly fading sparks in shades of pink, gold, and silver. These are An Nu’s light sparks, and they are fun to play with outside. The other pile there is made of jars of cream that, when applied to burns, will lead to quick relief of pain, and improved healing. But don’t spend too long looking at them, because soon after they appear, noises will start out in the Temba square. In the full dark of night, and perhaps accompanied by He Rows playing with sparklers, there will be a quick burst of fireworks. Well, they aren’t very good fireworks, because the Agrii don’t understand yet, but they’ve tried. In the course of a minute seven different lights will go off in the sky above the fountain, made up of bright sparks of pink and gold and silver, as if the Agrii have set off a lot of sparklers at once in one place. At least they tried.

The final culmination of the night, though, will come in the Whale Comb Sent Her lighting up from the outside, with lights pointed toward the top of the building. Where a new structure has been put in. From the ground it will look vaguely like a giant soap bubble on a stick, with some sort of glittering mass inside of it. It will slowly start to sink toward the building, in time with a series of beeps on He Rows’ communicators indicating a countdown. A countdown to the giant orb hitting the top of the building, the bubble popping, and the mass of pink and silver and purple and gold glitter inside falling free. Apparently New Tick is being celebrated with a snow of another type that definitely isn’t anyone’s fault in particular at all.

Winter Carnival!
The fun of course doesn’t end on that night either, as the Agrii did promise more celebration for the He Rows, didn’t they? The next morning comes (albeit with a layer of glitter around the Whale Comb Sent Her and nearby buildings), and it’s clear someone has been busy. The decorations in the Whale Comb Sent Her have been cleared away and instead reappear near the floodplain, which has frozen over for now. It seems like this area is set to be the center of the next two days of activities, and the Agrii are clearly trying hard. A lot of the booths from last year’s Rain Fare seem to have returned!

Arranged around the edges of the frozen over lake are huts and stalls, often wrapped in cloth to trap heat from braizers inside, and offering things for He Rows to do. The potion brewery has returned, as has a newly enclosed stage for musical performances complete with instruments. Instead of a forge and candle making tent there is a fluffy animal cuddling hut (the glownies don’t seem to mind this relocation), a comfy tent set up with supplies for wood carving, and even a little room that seems to be set up for fortune telling, not that there is a fortune teller around. There is, though, a mound of fortune cookies.

Training areas are set up as well, just as before, this time focusing on winter skills. There’s a tent set up for ice fishing so people can try their hand at it, and even rods and hooks provided (but no bait), there’s a stall with snow shoes so people can try their hands at walking on snow, and look, some Agrii even figured out skis and there’s a small cross country course set up through the trees! To go with it all there’s the archery range, an ax throwing hut with thankfully solid walls, and a tent just for people to try their hand at turning wire and pretty stones into jewelry. No, don’t ask why the Agrii think that is a skill, they clearly do.

The good news is that the Agrii are not the only ones contributing to this gathering. Some of the He Rows took the prompting of An Nu last month and created their own offerings. Those that did will find structures or areas suited to what they had wanted to offer. Out on the ice, for instance, there’s a table covered with different sizes of strap on skates, ready for He Rows to test their grace and agility and speed. Nearby on the shore is an area staked and roped off with higher than normal mounds of snow, and plenty of buckets, shovels, and other tools that look appropriate for sand castles, but seem intended for working in snow. There’s even a nice ‘prize’ on a table there, though Agrii seem to have taken the idea of a winner’s cup literally. He Row Reeve has offered to preserve sculptures with ice magic for judging, so no doubt there will be a victor.

Near the edges of the lake, where the heat won’t be a problem for the ice, a larger pavilion is set up in shades of red and green that absolutely clash. Inside the pavilion is quite warm from scattered wood burning braizers, as well as others at which meats and vegetables are being roasted and others where breads are being made, stews being heated, and even smaller cauldrons of hot tea, chocolate, and mulled spice red drink are being kept warm. All of this is an offering from He Row Tommy and any diner workers willing to assist, a place to warm oneself, eat, and share the companionship of friends. The stage tent is even nearby, so one can hear music if others deign to play. And for those that are cold but don’t feel like the heat of the pavilion, there is a stand near the ice that is left unattended, but is covered in sweaters, gloves, hats, and scarves, all clearly knitted of glownie wool. Most of them are undyed and pale, but some are in vibrant colors, and clearly made with love. A sign on the stand in an elegant script says ‘Take what you need to stay warm -Lark’.

But little of this is truly suitable for night time fun, right? The cold will be too deep for sports, and food can only get you so far. Ah, but someone has already inspired the Agrii to do more. At night the area prepared for the stage changes. At night the illusory people that tended the Rain Fare appear once more, seeming to play music. Well, they stand at instruments and music plays at least. Just inside the entrance flap to the tent are a mound of masks for people to put on for dancing to the music. All of the masks are identical, and all of them are of an Agrii’s face. Ga Re’s in particular. It seems someone told Agrii about masquerade balls, but they didn’t really understand the assignment. Especially since the dance floor is absolutely littered with colorful children’s ballpit balls. Oh well, at least they’re trying, and the music is probably good enough to dance to.

FAQ
Is the Pink Snow safe to eat?
Yep. It's just snow that tastes faintly sweet. Anyone who could study it on a molecular level will find that it has a very small amount of a sweet compound in it, but it will not leave your hands, or the city, sticky when it passes.

I didn't ask for something on the Season of Gifting page, or I joined the game after the cut off date. What does that mean for my character(s)?
Any character that didn't have a request posted will receive one (1) full outfit from home that previously belonged to them. The rules here is that the outfit cannot have a power/ability/armor associated with it. These are just casual clothes. The outfit can either be complete or a single piece of clothing, but will include no more than: a hat, some garment for the upper body like a shirt/sweater/tank-top, some over coverage like a coat/jacket/cape/cloak, a garment for the lower body such as shorts/pants/skirts/leggings, a garment for cushioning shoes such as stockings/socks/pantihose, appropriate undergarments, some form of footwear, gloves/mittens, and possibly a scarf or tie. A dress/robe/other one piece clothing can be used to substitute for upper/lower body pieces. No jewelry/accessories will come through.

You do not have to run this outfit by the mods for approval, we ask you to just respect that the outfit does not have powers/abilities/armor aspects. We want people comfortable, but not gaining an advantage with these clothes. For instance if someone were playing Master Chief from Halo, his 'outfit' could not be a set of power armor. If your character doesn't have clothes this would normally be true of back home, they will receive a casual outfit identical to an outfit you want them to have that doesn't have special properties to them. If you have questions ask them in the first comment below

What happens if I try and open someone else's gift?
Any He Row attempting to open someone else's gift will receive a light shock from the package which will cause them to drop it. No matter how many times they try, they will not be able to open a gift that is not for them. Nor will they be able to destroy it. No amount of dropping will break the presents while they remain in their packaging.

Does this mean the wrapping paper/boxes/etc is indestructible?
Only until they are opened. Then the paper and boxes and other things can be destroyed through any conventional (and numerous unconventional) ways. Characters may take these to reuse them, but anything discarded packaging/wrapping that remains in the Whale Comb Sent Her overnight will disappear the first moment no one is looking at it.

Okay, are the Light Sparks just sparklers?
Yep! Just sparklers. They come in any variety you might normally find as a normal stick sparkler. Enjoy your little fireworks! Any unused sparklers will disappear at the next dawn. The burn cream will remain.

Do I have to tell everyone what gift I got?
Nope. Just like with a gift you open when no one is looking, He Rows don't have to share what they get with each other. This is true IC and OOC. You can be as open or as secret as you wish to be.

Can I use this as a Mingle Log?
Yep. Just put your top levels below. You're also welcome to make your own Log or Network Posts if you want. Any Top-Level started on this page will be valid for January AC. So don't be afraid to do what makes you happiest! Happy New Year to all!

Who will win the Snow Sculpture Contest?
Everyone can sign up for the sculpting contest in the second comment below. Please include a description of what the character would have made. Then indicate whether you would like them to be considered a possible winner or not. Any potential winners will be put into an RNG to decide the absolute winner who gets the mug. If there are only people who indicate they don’t think they should win, those people will be in the pool to win. If only one person enters, that person will win by default.

I wanted to set up a booth and forgot to submit information!
Any He Row can see what is going on and put together their own booth for the winter festival. There will be empty booths around they can convert to their purposes. They are also welcome to tear down these empty booths for supplies. Who is really going to stop them? If you’re adding a booth, please indicate it in the first comment below, with a subject line of ‘Winter Fair Addition’ so people know what else they might be able to do.

Comments

Questions, Comments, and Winter Fair Additions

[trpmods]

Ask them here!


If listing an addition to the Winter Fair, please title your comment 'Winter Fair Addition' and include details to allow people to use to think about interactions.

[sunglassesincluded]

Looks like I get to add Albert's S.T.A.R.S. uniform (sans any of the tactical doodads) to his inventory.

...along with some key ingredients for gunpowder it looks like. Boy will have bullets in no time. Sparkly ones.

[quark_assassin]

Hi, Dustin's an idiot and doesn't trust the Agrii with explosives.
If he went looking for the source of their fireworks show before it happened, would he find it? Would he be able to disarm it before it goes off?
If he does find it and does not have time to disarm it, how much shit would he be in for being that close to a pile of jury-rigged sparkler fireworks right before they go off?

Snow Sculpture Contest Entries

[trpmods]

In your comment please include the following:

-Which He Row(s) are working on the submission
-A rough idea of what it looks like (images are also welcome)
-Would you like them in the RNG for the win?

[quark_assassin]

Just Dustin for this one! He's making a five-foot-tall, anatomically correct human hand, curled into a fist with the middle finger extended. Please RNG him for this one, I will laugh so hard if he wins.

Marc Spector // OTA

[knightlyperformance]

Trudging around the weird set-up in the even weirder snow wasn't exactly Marc's idea of fun. He'd tuned out on the Agrii message after it had threatened to give him a migraine between the continuous excitement and the confusing sentences. Not too crazy about finding out if he'd be disappointed by peanut butter-flavored everything again, he decided to leave the food exploration for later...or Steven. He was better with people anyway.

The assortment of winter activities just struck him as odd, but it seemed like these aliens really were aiming for providing enjoyment to their captives. Or heroes, rather. It was a pretty thin line between them so far as he was concerned.

Marc would eventually be found in the hut with the throwing axes. He was actually quite good at it too. Axes weren't usually his thing, he was used to something a little smaller and aerodynamic, but once he'd gotten the heft and worked out the angle, everything else worked out pretty naturally.

[quark_assassin]

Where there's ready access to dangerous items that can maim people if they stop being used as the toys the Agrii have designated them as, Dustin can probably be found lurking around. He has no real interest in trying the axes out for himself (save maybe to swipe some and scrap the metal); rather, he's very interested in seeing who is.

The fact that he eventually spots Marc here is honestly not at all a surprise. Still, Dustin makes a point to hover just inside the opening flap anyway, coming to a stop next to the tent's lone brazier so he can monopolize the heat radiating off of it and melt the snow off of his calves. He watches Marc complete a couple of throws in judgmental silence.

"Feels like a bad idea," the peanut gallery eventually says. "Doesn't it?"

[kree_soldieress]

It was always a wise thing to keep one's skills in combat rather sharp, and of course, the throwing axes were one of the few places she could manage this. So yes, she was there, testing the weight of one of the axes.

"You are rather good at this," she noted to Marc with a smile.

Omega // OTA

[small_compromise]

(a) Omega stood at the edge of the frozen lake, having scampered down from the outpost first thing when he'd seen was all had been set up outside. She'd been cautioned against the ice and stayed clear of it, so finding anything on it was rather baffling. Carefully she toed the ice with her boot. "Is...it safe?"

(b) Whether or not she tried her hand at skating, later on would find her in the snow where she was less prone to slip and fall. She'd learned how to make a snowman last year so she'd decided to put her skills to the test and make five of them. They weren't that big because she was only so tall, but she did her best to make them to scale with each other- four relatively the same size and one that stood at least a snow-head taller. Or at least that was the intention, but Snow-Wrecker was just a little too tall for her to feasibly place his head, leaving the girl to pout as she considered this puzzle.

(c) Playing in the cold was only so much fun, and the best part was always getting warmed up after. Omega had her hands wrapped around a mug of steaming hot chocolate as she sat and enjoyed the smells of baking bread.

B.

[crystalmaster]

Seeing the problem, Radley went over with a smile. "Hi. Need some help?" At 6'2", he should be plenty tall enough to place the snow head.

C

[doubled_speed]

There is something interesting about working on food in a place like this, but it was also just... warming. Tommy was rather happy with it, actually. It was all really interesting in his books, and he wasn't even ruining a lot of things. So yeah, he was happy when he sat by Omega with his own cup of hot chocolate.

"Give it a few minutes and the fresh rolls should be done. I'm tempted to melt some cheese over them."

Dustin | OTA

[quark_assassin]

I. Whale Comb Sent Her (Day)

As soon as the message starts playing on his tablet, Dustin already knows he isn't going to enjoy this. They have yet to do anything for him that he's liked - except for getting him Eorzean clothes, maybe, but he knows that they were a means to an end. All of this masquerading for inclusive celebration is a means to an end, frankly. Dustin doesn't trust any of it.

But like all of the things he doesn't trust, that doesn't push Dustin away from the festivities; it just encourages him to stick around and keep watch in case something truly catastrophic happens. That's the only reason he ends up lurking around the 'Welcome Center' at all that morning. It certainly isn't for the food - he's learned his lesson after the Candy Incident, and the fact that the Agrii have tried to replicate their dishes from the previous feast just makes him even more disdainful of it all. Even the steaming bowl of baconroom stroganoff is snubbed. The Agrii are trying so hard to catch him off-guard, to trick him into complacency again, and he will not allow it.

Eventually, however, curiosity wins out over stubborn distrust. Dustin's eyes keep wandering over to the pile of presents in the corner. He understands that this is supposed to be a holiday-themed gift exchange, but also his seventeenth birthday just came and went about a week ago with absolutely no fanfare whatsoever. Yes, he'd resigned himself to a lack of celebration the moment he'd decided to run away from home back on Earth. Did anticipating it make him feel any less empty or lonely? No, apparently it did not.

I deserve something nice, Dustin decides. Or maybe it'll be horrible and I'll hate it. At least I'll know.

He waits for most of the other residents to make their pass of the food and gifts first before slinking his way to the remaining bundle of presents, quickly snatching up the large box, and trying (and failing) to inconspicuously shuttle the iridescently-wrapped and rather heavy gift back to his shop to open it.

II. Whale Comb Sent Her (Night)

Dustin is in marginally higher spirits when he returns that evening. His purpose for being here is still to observe, sure, but he can't help being pleasantly surprised and happy about the pile of electric screwdrivers he'd received for his gift. The parts salvaged from the excess alone would save him days of work on other outstanding projects. Dustin has to admit that the Agrii did well on that one.

Things that were not thought out so well: Giving everyone unfettered access to minor explosives. Even worse, giving the Agrii access to explosives. He's able to infer that fireworks-type-objects have been armed and will be set off thanks to An Nu's vague descriptions of 'sky fire' and 'big sparks in sky' and has been anxious about that basically all day, so in the hours around and just after sunset, he spends most of his time agitatedly roaming around town center, shuffling through suspicious mounds in the snow and overturning rubble to see if there's a fireworks rack hiding under them.

After the main event inevitably happens with or without his intervention - and in spite of the fact that he thinks putting gunpowder in the hands of the general populace is a terrible idea - he's retreated back to the warmth of the 'Welcome Center,' where he lingers at the tables by the door to grab multiple handfuls of sparklers and several tins of burn cream and shove them in his coat pockets for analysis later. Obviously the teenage genius is the only one of this group exempt from making poor decisions with these resources.

III. Carnival

As with the previous day, Dustin is begrudgingly present for festivities in order to keep an eye on them, but this time there's simply so much going on for so long that he can't reasonably stand watch the entire time. Only a couple of hours in and he gets bored.

First - and feeling a little spiteful - Dustin makes a pass of the snow sculpture area. He spends several hours carefully packing snow into a Dustin-sized column with a wide, stout base, which...for a while looks alarmingly like a rude bit of human anatomy, until he starts shaving details into it. Then it very quickly becomes a hand, closed into a tight fist with a five-foot-tall middle finger pointing skyward instead. Improvement?

After completing his work of art and leaving it behind for judgement, Dustin is now bored and cold. He retreats to the relative warmth of the woodcarving activities tent, huddling near the brazier while he busies himself with whittling little figurines with his trusty Eorzean crafting knife. The first couple are just random geometric shapes, but after that he starts building actual replicas of animals and people he spots wandering by, picture-perfect in detail and posed the way he remembers them passing in his head, yet small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. A little pile of them collects on the table nearby as Dustin absorbs himself in the task.

Several hours of this pass. Then he's bored, cold, and hungry.

Obviously none of the food at the stalls can be trusted; it isn't until he stumbles across the larger tent and realizes that this is all Diner food that Dustin allows himself to relax. He's desperate for something warm, so he grabs a heaping bowl of stew and hunkers into that first, devouring it like it's the only meal he's eaten in a week, before deciding that he needs to pay back Tommy's hard work and do some cooking himself. Dustin alternates - eat something, tend the food, do some cleanup, repeat. Even while relaxing, the guy apparently is incapable of sitting still for more than five minutes.

II

[sunglassesincluded]

Wesker is less interested in any fireworks by the time he returns back later himself and more to get a look at some of the other residents and see how many of them he can tie to further names on the contact list. And he may as well pick up some more sparklers now that he has already stripped the ones he had taken before off of their sulfur coating and stored the different parts away safely for the time being. It's not surprising to see others sharing the same thought, so it's hardly worth commenting about. Not that Wesker has any intention of commenting on anything.

At least not until his purposeful strides almost have him barreling straight into a young man currently stuffing his pockets. Almost. Naturally Wesker has enough control over himself to stop just in time, which leaves him to look down on Dustin with one slightly arched brow. "And who are you?"

III

[crystalmaster]

Radley smiles and greets Dustin when he arrives at the Diner tent. "You must be cold after so much time spent working on that ... interesting display." It isn't really Radley's type of humor, and yet he is slightly amused. It reminds him of some of his friends back home.

I

[small_compromise]

Omega's in her own Eorzea-provided outfit as it certainly seems to suit the weather a little better than her usual uniform. She's especially loved the boots, which keep her feet much warmer than her standard pair. She'd left the diner a little earlier and had been on her way back to Echo's outpost by the flood plains before she'd gotten detoured.

The young clone is tucking a chilled but ever mischievous mothkitten into the front of her coat when she hears the sound of someone else nearby. She peeks around the mound of snow to see the older boy tugging along the large package. Curious!

III

[ziedrich_bearer]

"Well, those look awesome."

Gladio had stepped in to try and figure out what was going on here. Working with wood might be interesting, and he was wondering if there were things he could take back from here. But damn, he wasn't expecting to come in to see so much made here.

"Didn't know you carved."

III

[plate_builder]

Reeve has, of course, been at the snow sculpture area all day, because he's the one helping manage this. He loves the art and creativity that came with constructions like this. Add in how he had the magic to preserve the things, well, it made sense to be here.

But Reeve hadn't expected, well, this route of creation. Even as Dustin starts to work on more details, the architect has to sigh.

"This is really what you're doing?"

York || OTA

[buildingitsir]

.---- : Whale Comb Center [Anytime]

York's ignored the message that comes through on his communicator. After some of the shit the Agrii have pulled, he's not interested into being lured into more shitty situations. York's secondary programming seems to be putting himself into those situations on his own. He doesn't need any alien's helps with that. Still deaf on the right side of his head, he finally reads the message and heads to the center. Might as well go check this stupid thing out.

Once inside, he's not aware of the flakes of pink in his black hair, melting slowly in the warmth. Teal eyes glance over the various presents laid out in the same wrapping paper with different names labeling them. Seeing his own on a large, flat box, he rolls his eyes and takes the parcel to an empty table. What could the aliens ever give someone like him? His face is sour as he works at the wrapping, letting it crinkle under his fingers as he works away tape and whatnot holding it together. The box gets opened and—

— the box lid drops and he stares down at the papers within. It's detailed schematics of his current body. And his original one that was lost when the house in Malibu was destroyed.

"Holy shit," he whispers under his breath. "HOLY SHIT!" comes the yell almost immediately afterwards.

..---: Sparklers [Nighttime]

It's cold. York can feel his system working to keep all of his shell at a decent temperature so nothing freezes over. They had a similar problem in Jericho, and had used barrels burning with paper and other waste to give the room warmth. Then the military had been sent to deal with them and York had ended up here. It's... quiet.

Such a change from the snowy atmosphere of Detroit. Amazing how that is when there's not a revolution to be won.

He holds a sparkler in hand and lights it, watching the colorful sparks fly up and spew everywhere in front of him. The colors are reflected in his eyes, the gold briefly splashes color onto his cheeks and gives him a human warmth to his kin that it usually lacks.

"...Neat." And then the first boom of fireworks happen overhead and he startles back, arm going up like it's going to protect him. He takes in the burst of colors in the sky. The sparkler gets dropped and he starts off at a jog towards the nearest building. Another firework goes off. He startles again.

...--: Carnival [Anytime]

"You can see a lot just by looking."

York scowls down at the paper. What the fuck? He balls it up and tosses the little fortune away and crunches the cookie down to scatter the crumbs into the snow. It's not like he can eat it anyways. Fortune cookies were stupid. He shoves his hands into his coat pockets (a coat with one extra arm in it since it was something he found from the Agrii) and wanders about. He stops at the stall where the Glownies reside.

"Animal cuddling?" He lifts a brow but heads in, eyes widening at the sight of the creatures. As an android that had asked for a pet a few times and been denied every time, this had to be some sort of dream. There were no creatures like this on his Earth and York didn't dream so... He's cautious as he moves forward, gently tapping and petting the closest one.

I

[out_of_order]

It seems to be an odd trend with their encounters, but at least in this instance York doesn't sound necessarily upset. Cal glances over at him from where he'd been having a look at the pile of packages for himself. BD-1 peers over his shoulder as well before the two exchange a glance and Cal makes his approach.

"Everything okay here?" he asks as he steps over towards the table York's taken up to do his unboxing. At a glance the contents of his gift looks a little strange, but Cal knows better than that. The previous gifting had been meaningful and he has no doubts that the same would go for those especially new, now.

[mutedsuspicions]

1️⃣ : Whale Comb Center {anytime}

It's cold again. Of course, it's winter, but even after last year, he's not accustomed to it. It's the only thing he misses about Tevinter at this point. The warmth of it year around, even when that warmth was heat and practically unbearable in the summer.

What would he give to have that heat right now.

After receiving the message on his communicator, the elf bundles up and heads out, taking the relatively short walk from the hotel to the center. There's a table filled with glittering presents. Just like last year! He even still has that pretty pink wrapped carefully folded and on display like a piece of art. He just... wasn't accustomed to nice things yet. Slaves didn't get them, even though he wasn't a slave any more. And not here.

The Iron Bull had said!

He scans the various presents before finding one with his name marked on it. It looks strange, tall and very skinny. Like a tree limb! Like him! He gathers it in his hands and steps away from the table to make room and carefully undoes the tape and before he can fold the paper and put it aside, he stares at the unwrapped gift.

A wooden staff? The elf holds it very carefully and the paper floats to the floor. It's jagged and pointy on one end, carved by someone with experience it seemed.

'A staff?!' He signs excitedly, looking over his shoulder. Maybe this was to help with his magic? Maybe the Agrii were trying to help him not burn the city down by accident.

2️⃣ : Skating {anytime}

This was a bad idea.

No, scratch that. A TERRIBLE idea.

The wooden staff's end smacks against the ice when Lerith tries to use it for balance. Why did he think ice skating was a good idea?! He had seen some of the children do it on the lake at Thedas and figured he'd give it a try. If children could do it, certainly a full grown elf could figure it out.

And now, here he was, too far from the edge and trying to figure out how to get his feet to move while staying upright so he can go back. He can't even call out for help!

3️⃣ : Sparklers {nighttime}

Oh now this he likes. He watches from afar at first, uncertain as to what the strange smelling sticks would do, but once he sees that they just sparkle like bits of magic, the elf decides yeah! Time to join in! He grabs a handful of them and heads outside with his scarf wrapped around his head and neck.

Shoving all but one sparkler under his arm, Lerith jogs into an area clear of the pink snow and holds it out as far as he can with his arm holding the others. With a snap, a spark ignites from his fingers and catches the stick. He grabs it just as a fountain of color erupts from it. He grins, ears lifting (though hidden under the scarf) as a thrill sparks through him. Now this was fun he could do with his magic! The new staff bounces against his back where's strapped it with rolled up wrapping paper.

Then BOOM! He startles and crouches, looking up at the sky to see even more colors! The unlit sparklers clatter to the ground as he points excitedly. Sky sparklers! Lerith wasn't sure if they had a name or anything, but they were so pretty and sooooo much bigger than his little one in hand!

sparklers

[fatedsacrifice]

Noct loved sparklers so he was definitely there for him. He couldn't find Gladio right off, but he could handle being on his own. So he grabbed a bunch of sparklers and was wondering where to go light them until he saw Lerith light his stick with a snap.

Impressed, the king headed over towards the very bundled up elf.

As he reached his friend, fireworks went off, and Noct's blue eyes looked up at the sky with a smile. Turning to Lerith then he nodded, still smiling.

"Didn't figure we'd have such a light show."

Tommy Shepherd | OTA

[doubled_speed]

I. Gifts and Sparklers

Ah New Tick. What a mess to have to deal with. Tommy ahsolutely had other things to prepare for tomorrow, but hey, he's going to stop in and get his gift and his sparklers. Because fuck yeah sparklers.

Still maybe he looks a bit silly standing outside, drawing in the air with his sparklers, making maps of the city and names in fabulous script, and even once or twice stickfigure drawings that probably weren't appropriate for most kids. Mostly the silliness comes from the box at his side, filled with... are those bottles of what looks like Flintstone vitamins? That's weird right? Weirder than the sparkler play? Who knows. Maybe someone should ask.

II. Cooking All Day

Cooking for other people wasn't a strange thing for Tommy at this point, but there is something really different here. The chance to make things only over open fires to make people feel sorta that ren faire vibe? He's so fucking in on that, right? With help from the replicator and his other food stores Tommy was absolutely having fun, and if there was a plus in the smell of fire around him, well, that was nice too.

"Hey," he said, looking up from the dough he was kneading as he saw someone duck in through the flap. "Close that quick. Don't want the warmth going out. What can I get you? I'm about to try some griddle cakes, but I've got skewers too. And mulled juices."

III. Cuddle The Glownie

It wasn't often that Tommy came to see the creatures he had helped to lure to Temba anymore. There was always so much to do these days, and clearly they had good tenders to care for their needs. But damn he'd missed his little glowing friends and when he passed over care of the food tent to one of the helpers, Tommy had been glad to slip into the glownie tent. And almost immediately he had plopped himself down to sit among them, smiling as he was investigated by the beasts. Hell, he was even laughing as one started to snuffle at his hair.

"Yeah, I missed you girls too. Good news, I think I've worked out a mint-oil extract that not only works to keep pests away from the greenhouse plants, but might be able to be spritzed on your other food so you're super into it too. Isn't that cool?"

IV. Ballpits Are Fun!

Dances were not Tommy's thing, not really. But hey, there wasn't much else to do at night, so he is happy to slip in to investigate. He even didn't mind putting on the mask because why the fuck not?

But damn, the balls. Tommy laughed in delight to see them.

"Holy fuck," he laughed, and immediately moved to start kicking at them. Oh yes, he's taking these home. "I want them all."

Lark | OTA

[stitch_witch]

I. Fortunate Times

It had been a while since there had been a nice winter festival for Lark to enjoy. Perhaps they weren't as common at the Circle Temple, but Lark had enjoyed them anyway. There were good traditions that went with the changing of seasons and the change of the year, and she wanted to partake of those she could. And what better way to start than with a fortune?

"Your infinite capacity for patience will be rewarded sooner or later," she reads from the slip of paper. The words made her chuckle. "I have raised enough children from my patience to know it's already rewarded."

II. Gifted Weaving Adventures

The winter cool was lovely and all, but there was always something else to be done in the quiet days too. And Lark was one who liked to keep her hands busy. So she found herself settling into the stage tent, curled up in a chair, her New Tick loom in her lap as she started setting it up for a weaving project.

"Perhaps cloth for a shirt?"

III. Time On The Ice

How long had it been since she last did this? Lark didn't know, but she was happy to see the familiar strap on skates here. These she knew how to use. Lark took off her gloves long enough to get them on over her shoes, and then she pulled them back on. Once that was done she happily gets to her feet and sets out onto the ice.

And rather soon she falls, but she laughs. Falling over wasn't a problem, it was just part of learning.

"I forgot how uneven the ice could be."

Gladio | OTA

[ziedrich_bearer]

I. A Soft Gift

The gift box was larger than he was expecting. And after a bit of poking around at things, Gladio finally found himself heading for the box. Definitely not clothes like last year, it's too big for that. But the Agrii seem sorta bad at doing things for them, so he's worried to see what he'll find.

Of course what he lifted out of the box wasn't what he'd expected. So there he was, standing and staring in shock, almost teary eyed. He was so riveted by the plush that he wouldn't even notice someone approaching.

"Iris..."

II. Cross Country

There was nothing that was quite so fun as enjoying the great outdoors, no matter the season. Hiking, camping, hunting dangerous beasts, going on road trips that involve mostly abandoned roads? Oh yeah, it's all great. And so when Gladio found a stall with snowshoes, well, Gladio smiled at the challenge that was quietly presented to him. He knows about snowshoes, and he's never tried them before.

Which will be fun.

"Alright," he said once he had them strapped on. "Let's get going. Once around the lake!" he says, pumping a fist. And then he looks around. Maybe there is someone who will go with him.

III. Chow Time

Food tent? Roasted meats? Mulled and spiced alcohol? Gladio was so fucking in. He came into the tent after the long walk with the snowshoes, and he looked so happy with himslf. It had been a good day.

"I feel like this is the time where I'd want to sit down and eat a roast turkey leg," he said as he took one of the skewers and get the meat off of it onto a piece of clearly fire roasted flatbread. "Or maybe cinnamon rolls."

1

[fatedsacrifice]

Noctis had gone for a run of warm cider while they were checking out the place. The king tried his best to keep himself from outright shaking in the cold, but fortunately this cold was far kinder than whenever Shiva appeared.

So he approached his beau and was about to offer the cider when he saw the gift and heard Gladio's response.

For all the world he wished he could send Gladio home to see her instead of lingering in this hanged suspension world. And due to those thoughts he spoke in a low tone.

"That seems like a gift she'd give you."

Lauri-Ell | OTA

[kree_soldieress]

I. Glitter Bombed

There is much good to be said of marking the passing of cycles. Lauri-Ell had enjoyed the festivities the year before, so of course she had come to see this one as well. And oh this year it was more wonderful than before. Lauri-Ell had happily come outside with her Sparker, ready to watch the passing of the year. And then there was sparkling up behind her.

A beautiful big ball, unlike anything she had seen before.

"Oh my, it's beautiful."

Down down down it came, and then... Oh she had stood to close. Lauri-Ell just stood there now, looking at her arms completely coated in glitter.

"Ah. This again."

II. What's Ice Fishing

Part of exploring the carnival was looking in on every booth and trying to determine what the purpose of it was. Most of them Lauri-Ell was not so interested in as to linger long. This one, though, had Lauri pausing with the flap open, frowning at the hole cut into the ice and leading down into the water.

"Is this meant to encourage us to swim? It seems dangerous. Perhaps I should cover this."

III. Throwing Axes Rock

As much as she had chosen to depart from her martial background where she could, there were some things which called to Lauri-Ell no matter how hard she tried. And here, this booth with a display of weapons and targets on the far end... Well, how was she supposed to just walk away without trying?

"I wonder if you are properly balanced," she says directly to the axe as she lifts it. What, isn't it appropriate to speak to your weapons?

Reeve Tuesti | OTA

[plate_builder]

I. Ice and Snow And Construction

Why had he thought this was a good idea to set up? Reeve didn't know that he could explain it, even as he worked in the roped off area for the sculpting work. It was cold out here, and people didn't seem too taken by the idea yet, but Reeve didn't intend to walk away from it. Instead he sat by his little braizer, wrapped up tight and warm. His chair was nice enough, and with the new bangle letting him actively channel magic into his materia to help him stay warm, he could get through the day.

Well, there was that and watching this.

"Well?" Mini called as he paused in his construction of what was very clearly a snow man that was a cat.

"It needs a tail," Reeve said, his voice filled with fondness for his companion.

II. Pieces Out Of Wood

Sometimes one needs a break from sitting out in the cold, watching nothing happen. For Reeve that had meant finding a place for crafts. And given his time on Eorzea and his new work here, Reeve found himself caught up in the wonders of the carving tent. He sat there now, humming to himself while Mini was away exploring, his hands working a piece of wood into the shape of a large bird with long legs and a very large beak. Clearly he's making something from memory, a chocobo perhaps. And he seems very happy with it too.

Of course he was not so caught up in it that he didn't look up when he heard someone else enter. That made him smile.

"Good day. The wood here is very wonderful to work with, if you know what you want."

III. A Little Gift For A Small Friend

It never hurts to learn something new. In fact, one might even say it was better for your mind. So Reeve had decided to try his hand at something else. Which was why he was in the jewelry tent right now, considering a selection of pretty polished stones, mostly in shades of green. Of course he heard someone nearby, and he looked up quickly to see who it might be.

"Ah!" he said with a smile. "Might I ask your opinion? I'm trying to make a gift for Mini, but I can't pick a color."

II

[out_of_order]

BD-1 entered first, shaking off snow from his feet. Naturally Cal wasn't far behind, releasing the tent flap to fall behind him once he'd entered. He glances at Reeve, lifting a hand in a wave.

"Hey Reeve. Ah, so that's what this tent's for." He looks around at the contents of the space. BD-1 wasted no time in poking around and looking at the wood pieces and tools before hopping over to investigate whatever the man was working on with a curious hoot.

"Never actually tried carving things before. Is it difficult?"